Harry's secret love
by KatherineRei
Summary: The Yule ball is almost here and Harry wants to take the girl he's always liked. Who is it?
1. Chapter 1

"Harry?"

Hermione leant over the Gryffindor table, as Ron watched scowling as her tie brushed a Yorkshire pudding. There was excited chatter in the Great Hall, more so than a regular evening dinner as the Yule ball grew closer.

"Who is she?" Hermione smiled, swatting Ron's hand away from her tie. Harry peered up at her through a smile he struggled to hide and shrugged. His hand waved away her question as he laughed.

"I have no idea what you're-"

"Then where have you been going?" Ron's nose scrunched angrily at Harry, "Why won't you tell me?"

"Harry has a right to privacy, Ronald. Although," Hermione hunkered in her seat and lowered her voice.

"It would be nice to know who you are bringing to the Yule ball."

Ron's face contorted, a piece of a bread roll lodged tightly in his throat as he looked at Hermione in disbelief. Ignoring Ron, Hermione watched Harry patiently. Smile fading, Harry glanced around the table and saw that every girl had stopped to listen, the hum of the hall growing to a whisper. Harry pulled himself to his feet and climbed over the bench.

"Oh Harry," Hermione pleaded, "I didn't mean to pry."

"Harry has a right to privacy, Hermione," Ron mimicked as he picked up his fork and stabbed a potato.

As Harry left the Great Hall, his hands were slick with sweat as he ran them down his robe. He didn't know how his friends would react if they knew the truth, the Yule ball was nothing to him because he couldn't bring the one he desired.

That, he thought, should change.

With a small bag slung across his shoulder, Harry pulled open its zipper and glanced down the corridor. Alone, he pulled out a cloak and wrapped it tightly around his body. Confident that he was invisible, Harry crept towards a large door. The polished door knob twisted as the door of the first-floor girls' toilets drew inward. A giggle escaped between the small gap as the lulling sound of water wafted its way up the corridor. As quickly as it had opened, the door clicked shut as Harry ripped his cloak from its place. As the cloak pooled at his feet, Harry listened quietly with his ear to the door to ensure he was safe.

"Myrtle?"

Harry crept around the fountain, placing a hand gently on the toilet cubicle she often resided in.

"Harry?"

Myrtle, spitting from the fountain, flew through the water and into the air. Harry grinned at the site of Myrtle, her long black hair now braided into two plaits.

His favourite, and she knew it.

Looking down on Harry, she watched him with a deivlish smile and cooed. Now standing in front of him, Harry placed a hand towards Myrtle. It hung in the air for a moment, before Myrtle's own hand rose to meet it.

"Myrtle?" Harry asked tenderly,

"Will you be my date to the Yule ball?"

A piercing giggle erupted from Myrtle as she sprang backwards into the toilet cubicle. The toilet bowl bubbled and gurgled, and she bounded out with glee as Harry laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron raced clunkily down the staircase towards the Great hall, his mouth spitting incoherent sounds as he braced himself on his knees out of breath. Hermione, smiling happily at her dance partner, looked over at Ron and frowned. Politely excusing herself from the handsome Cedric Diggory, Hermione walked gracefully towards Ron, and when no one was looking, elbowed him in the stomach.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron gasped, rubbing the now tender spot under his ribs.

"Stop running away from her, Ron. She is a nice girl."

"Pfft," Ron blew through his cheeks as he cast a look up the stairwell.

"They call her loony for a reason, Hermione. You're just lucky a basket case didn't ask you to the ball."

Hermione crossed her arms and scowled, but her eyes wandered across the Great Hall's floor, now a shimmering dance floor, and she smiled as Cedric bopped along to the music. Following her gaze, Ron snarled. Seconds passed and he laughed, as the choir performing a whimsical tune started squealing. Fred and George, their wands now sliding under their shirts, had transformed the Frog Choir's voices to sound like pigs.

"Incredibly immature," Hermione sighed under her breath.

The choir stopped abruptly, members running from the stage as Professor Flitwick could be heard muttering, "oh dear," as he ran after his students.

Harry edged his head around the corner, his blue suit matching the corsage he held in his hand. Using the distraction to his advantage, Harry turned to Myrtle, who had already snatched the corsage out of his grasp and wound it tightly around her arm.

Harry stared at her hand, "I wasn't sure if you would be able to-"

"Oh yes, Harry. I can," she giggled and looped her arm in Harry's.

The music had returned to the Yule ball and Harry hung tightly onto Myrtle, his gaze lifted high. They pushed down the staircase, and on reaching the bottom, paused for a moment. No one had spotted Harry and Myrtle idling at the stairs. Harry smiled, shoulder to shoulder with Ron, as he cleared his throat.

"Hi, Ron."

"Harry!" Ron blurted, his head still staring out at the dancing crowd.

"You just missed the funniest-," Ron halted. His mouth fell open as he elbowed Hermione in the side dramatically. Throwing Ron what would have been an angry look contorted into one of surprise.

"Potter's with a ghost!" Draco yelled across the hall, his obnoxious laugh echoing across the hall's walls. The dancing came to a standstill as everyone turned and stared.

Hermione tried to say something, but her words were muffled by the sound of laughter coming from the hall. Ron's head wipped from Harry to Hermione, his mouth growing wider in disbelief as he switched between the two.

"Moaning Myrtle! You came with Moaning Myrtle? Of all the peopl- she's not even a person!"

"Ron," Hermione tried to quiet him, but his voice grew even louder as his hands flew in the air.

"MOANING MYRTLE!"

At that moment, Moaning Myrtle burst into tears, her whine casting over the already shocked students now forced to cover their ears.

"Don't call me that," she wailed and flew through Ron.

Ron shut his mouth, his next words lost in the sound of Myrtle's crying. A tinge of green made its way up Ron's face, and he covered his mouth as he ran for the corridor.

"Hello, Harry. You look nice Myrtle," Luna appeared above them on the staircase. Half of her long blonde hair was braided with lollie wrappers, whilst the other half hung losely around her shoulders.

Harry's surprising choice of partner did not seem to phase Luna as she bounded down the rest of the stairs.

"Have you seen Ron?" Luna ignored the growing laughter in the Hall as Harry looked awkwardly at Hermione.

"That way," Harry pointed down the corridor that Ron had fled down, and Luna nodded.

"Harry," Hermione eyed Myrtle suspiciously and pulled him aside.

"Did you bring Myrtle," she straightened, picking her words carefully, "willingly?"

Harry choked, quickly pulling his arm away from Hermione.

"Yes," Harry stared angrily at her.

"Yes," his voice grew louder, "I brought Myrtle with me to the Yule ball."

The entire room was listening, and Harry cleared his throat as he latched his arm around Myrtle and walked forward.

"Potter couldn't get a real girl. I'm surprised you even got a ghost," Draco sniggered.

Fred and George tried not to laugh as they watched Harry guide Mytrle onto the dance floor.

"On ya Harry," George slapped Harry on the back.

"I saw some pretty nice looking gnomes in the garden, George." Fred called over his shoulder, "What do you think?"

George crouched and pretended to dance, twirling his arm around an invisible gnome.

"Why didn't we think of that earlier?"

Laughter fell over the students as Harry tried to ignore it, but Myrtle began to cry again. She latched herself onto the fountain sitting in the centre of the hall, water now pooling at Harry's feet, and flooded the room.


End file.
